The dramatically increasing costs of higher education have unfortunately put the benefits of a higher education out of the reach of many people. However, the value of higher education has never been more evident. For example, in today's technology driven economies many job opportunities require advanced scientific and technical training. Indeed, a recent study conducted by the U.S. Labor Department estimated that in the year 2000, 85% of the nation's jobs will require education or training above the high school level. Moreover, as international commercial, political, and cultural ties continue to deepen in the present atmosphere of globalization, the benefits of a well rounded education become ever more apparent.
Individuals with post-secondary degrees typically receive higher salaries than those individuals without such degrees. According to a recent study conducted by the College Board, the lifetime earnings of individuals with a bachelor's degree are 51% higher than those with only a high school diploma. Similarly, the average annual salary for a college graduate is currently $59,048, compared with $33,779 for those individuals with only a high school diploma.
Although, Americans consistently rank the ability to pay for their child's college education as one of their primary concerns, the average debt load carried by recent college graduates continues to soar each year. According to Provident Mutual.com, 87% of current students say that college costs will soon be “out of reach,” 52% say that any additional debt will put them in serious risk, and 38% say that college is “not affordable” right now. Thus, while higher education is emerging as a critical factor to future success in the job market, the financial burden of obtaining a degree is rising dramatically. A study by the College Board determined that the current average price (tuition plus room and board) of one year at a private four-year university was $20,273 for the 1998-1999 school year. For the same time period at a public post secondary institution, the price was $7,773. Recent college-cost increases have easily outpaced the U.S. economy's overall inflation rate in the past ten years, and the National College Resource Association estimates that by the year 2017 one year at a private four year university will cost $61,251, while one year at a public institution will be $28,787.
For today's newborn, experts estimate that parents must save approximately $216 per month for 18 years to cover the entire four year tuition costs at a public institution. In 1997, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the median income for a four-person family was $53,350, indicating that college saving for two children would require 10% of pre-tax income for a four-person family.
For families unable to save sufficient funds for college expenses, student borrowing has emerged as the next best solution. The current level of college borrowing in the United States is approaching $40 billion. Student borrowing in the last five years has exceeded the growth rate of college costs by three times and personal income by four times. According to ProvidentMutual.com, two-thirds of borrowers claim that their student loans represent a “major financial hardship.”
As a result of the increasing costs associated with higher education, in the last five years there has been a proliferation of government sponsored and private programs designed to help parents save for their children's college education. Recognition of the financial hardships related to saving or borrowing for college has led many families to seek solutions to the problem, which in turn has created an emerging industry of college savings options. State created tuition savings plans are currently available in forty-six states, and in less than five years have amassed in excess of $7 billion in invested assets. The federal government has also created “Educational IRA's” and other tax incentives related to education investments. Most major brokerage firms and mutual funds now market programs designed to encourage parents to save for college expenses, and have been extremely successful in attracting investors.
Some drawbacks of these tuition savings programs include obligatory contributions, large amounts of after tax income needed to fund the programs, limitations on school selection offered to the student, restrictions on the funds at maturation, and the potential of program cancellations without guarantee of admittance. Since most state plans require contributors to sign binding contracts that lock in a payment schedule, such plans therefore obligate contributors, and require them to make a special effort to make payments. Moreover, the various private tuition savings programs also require contributors to make special financial sacrifices to save for tuition costs.
What is needed are methods and systems for accumulating monies for funding a college tuition that do not place a significant financial burden on the user.